


Catching

by Dreamin



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Sickfic, whouffaldi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-16
Updated: 2019-10-16
Packaged: 2020-12-17 08:40:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21051497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreamin/pseuds/Dreamin
Summary: The Doctor knows just how to treat Clara's cold.





	Catching

**Author's Note:**

  * For [afteriwake](https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/gifts).

The sound of the TARDIS arriving barely broke through to Clara’s sleep, but the curtains being thrown open and the room suddenly filling with daylight had her throwing an arm over her eyes. “Doctor!” she protested, though not nearly as strongly as she would’ve liked.

“Up and at ‘em, sleepyhead!” he replied, way too cheerfully for her illness-addled brain.

Clara pulled the pillow over her head to block out the light and sound but was only successful with the former.

“Big day planned!” the Doctor said, clapping his hands together. “First, Ancient Egypt and watching the mummification of King Tutankhamun.”

That was enough to get through. She removed the pillow then sat up, staring at him. “Didn’t mummification take over a month?”

The Doctor grinned. “Yes, but what’s a month or two when you have a time machine? We can just skip the boring bits. Then, lunch at-”

“I don’t think we’re going to want lunch right after watching someone being turned into human jerky.”

“Good point,” he said, making a face. “We can have lunch after-”

She sighed quietly. “I can’t do any of those things today anyway.”

“Why not?”

“In case you haven’t noticed, Doctor, I’m ill,” she said, pointing to her flushed cheeks then waving a hand to indicate the bin beside her bed overflowing with used tissues and the half-drunk glass of water on the nightstand.

“Ah,” he said, nodding in realization. “So, come back in an hour?”

“More like a day or two.” She coughed several times into her elbow then groaned quietly and flopped back onto the bed, her eyes closed.

“Right,” he muttered.

Clara cracked one eye open to look at him. “Can you catch Earth viruses?”

He raised an eyebrow. “They wouldn’t dare.”

“Right. Close the curtains before you go?”

“Of course.” The room filled with darkness once more and she drifted off to the sound of the TARDIS leaving.

_He could at least tell me to get well soon._

* * *

Clara woke up again to the sound of the TARDIS arriving once more. A glance at the clock told her he’d only been gone an hour. When he didn’t burst into her room right away, she knew she had to see what he was up to. Pulling on her robe and stepping into her slippers, she left the room and made her way to the kitchen, cursing her pounding head.

She found the Doctor stuffing a container of orange juice into the fridge. Canvas shopping bags that looked suspiciously like hers were on the counter, full of tissue boxes, cold medicine, cough syrup, cans of chicken soup, and a box of crackers.

_He braved a busy London supermarket just for me?_ she wondered, touched.

“Of course,” he said, grinning, as he turned to her. “Who else would I do it for?”

She smiled back weakly. “I was thinking out loud?”

The Doctor nodded as he put the rest of the groceries away. “An adorable trait, at least when your thoughts about me and complimentary.”

Clara felt her cheeks warm and she knew it had nothing to do with the bug. “Did-did you just call me ‘adorable?’”

“Did I say ‘adorable?’” he asked, busying himself with putting the cans of soup in the cabinet. “I meant-”

“Is that chocolate?” she cut in, not wanting to hear him deny it, and pointed to a bag of chocolates sticking out of the final shopping bag.

“Er, yes. Another man was there shopping for his girlfriend and he suggested I get a treat to lift your spirits. I would have gotten you a romance novel but none of the books they had seemed right.”

Clara paused in the middle of popping the first chocolate into her mouth to stare at him. “You told me you’re not my boyfriend.”

“Did I?” he asked, not meeting her eyes. “It was right after my regeneration, my memories of that time are a bit … fuzzy.”

“Yeah, you did.” She set the chocolate down then approached him slowly. “Doctor?”

“Hmm?”

“Look at me,” she implored him softly.

He turned to her, his eyes wary. “I’m looking.”

“Why were none of the romance novels at the store ‘right?’”

“None of the couples were anything like us.”

She blinked in surprise then smiled a bit, amused. “And you think I’m only interested in reading about couples like us?”

“Aren’t you?”

“Are we a couple?” she asked softly. “Until this moment, I would’ve thought we were just friends.”

“We are,” he admitted, “but lately-”

“Only lately?” she teased gently, grinning.

“Shush,” he murmured. “Lately, I keep thinking we should be … more.”

Clara’s heart soared at his words and she grinned cheekily. “‘More’ as in best friends or ‘more’ as in- mmpf!”

The rest of what she was going to say was cut off by him pulling her close and kissing her softly. Clara stood on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around his neck. Quickly sensing the problem, the Doctor picked her up and set her on the counter, grinning when she broke the kiss to let out a small squeak.

She smiled back shyly. “This isn’t how I expected this day to turn out but I’m-” She cut herself off with a sneeze.

The Doctor chuckled. “Now you have me here to take care of you, I’m sure-” He stopped dead, his eyes wide, then he sneezed.

Clara stared at him for a moment then she giggled. “I guess that answers the Earth virus question. Quickly, I might add.”

Once he was over the shock at catching her illness, he smirked. “I assume you’ll share the chocolate.”

She grinned. “Nuh-uh, you get your own treat.”

“I have that right here,” the Doctor murmured as he pulled her close. “And it’s not as if I can catch your cold twice.”

“Good point,” she said, grinning wider as she pulled his head down for a kiss.


End file.
